Chapter 31: The Wheel of Death

"Boom!"

In the room where Maeve resided, flames erupted, and two figures sat cross-legged, facing each other. Their clothes were reduced to ash, leaving them both naked. The scene of their exposed forms, though common during their intense training sessions every seven days, still made Maeve's cheeks flush with embarrassment. She quickly turned her back to Dustin Li, hoping to regain some sense of modesty.

The smooth, white skin of Maeve made Dustin Li momentarily lose focus, but the intense flames of power roaring through his body forced him to close his eyes and focus solely on his cultivation. The internal energy within him had reached a saturation point, the excess gathered in his dantian. He was on the verge of reaching the Energy Gathering Realm, and he knew that once the energy hit that stage, it would erupt like a volcano, propelling him forward.

After a moment, Maeve donned fresh clothes and felt the distinct difference in her fire yang pulse—her condition had improved by more than half. The pain was gone, and she no longer needed to rely on water-type medicinal pills or external pressure to control her pulse.

She glanced at Dustin Li, who continued to meditate, still naked. It was strange. Maeve had never imagined that her body would be seen so many times by a fourteen-year-old boy. Her initial feelings of shame and anger had slowly faded over time. Now, every glance at him made her heart race, and the mere thought of him sent a flush to her face.

"Am I ready to leave once my fire yang pulse is healed?" Maeve wondered quietly. In all of Novaridge City, only the Lord of the Martial Hall and five elders knew of her true origins. Though she had encountered many geniuses, she was no ordinary woman herself. If not for the curse of the fire Death Pulse, she would have long since reached the Innate Realm. But Dustin Li—he had shaken her to the core.

In just half a year, Dustin Li had advanced from the second to the ninth level of body refining. That alone was impressive—many geniuses from the Salmoris Sect could achieve this. But Dustin Li had also mastered Pure Yang Skills, a technique of immense difficulty that only a few had successfully practiced.

Pure Yang Skills were considered to be an eighth-rank martial art, and their benefits were undeniable—those who perfected it would become unbeatable at their level. The technique had two stages: pure yang and innate. A complete Innate Pure Yang technique was still a distant goal for Dustin Li, but he had already shown the potential to reach it.

Maeve couldn't help but admire his talent. With the right guidance, he could even make a name for himself in the Salmoris Sect.

Dustin Li exhaled a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes, locking gazes with Maeve for a brief moment. Startled, Maeve quickly looked away, an unease settling in her chest. Over the course of their time together, there had been moments of closeness—times when they had seen each other in vulnerable states. Dustin Li had inadvertently developed feelings for her, though he hadn't expressed them. He wasn't sure what Maeve felt toward him either, so he buried those feelings deep within.

"Maeve," Dustin Li spoke after a pause, breaking the silence. "Once I reach the Energy Gathering Realm, I'll be able to heal your fire yang death pulse in two or three more sessions."

The change in their relationship was palpable—no longer was he calling her Teacher Maeve or Sister Lu, but simply Maeve, a sign of their growing intimacy.

"Are you going to break through to the Energy Gathering Realm?" Maeve asked, though her voice lacked the surprise she expected to feel. Instead, there was a strange apprehension in her heart.

Her fire yang death pulse had tormented her for years, and she should be relieved to know it would be healed. Yet, the thought of being free of it made her uneasy. Would things change after I am healed?

Dustin Li, unaware of her inner conflict, noticed her frown. "What's wrong, Maeve?"

Maeve quickly hid her feelings, forcing a smile. "Nothing, I'm just a little tired."

"Well then, rest up," Dustin Li said kindly. "In the next few days, I'll be retreating to break through to the Energy Gathering Realm."

...

After leaving Maeve's residence, Dustin Li made his way to a quiet courtyard in Novaridge City. It was a peaceful place where he had settled his parents and sister after the incident at the Zhang household. Now that he had the ability, he was determined to provide them with a better life. His parents and sister lacked the talent for martial arts, and would remain ordinary, but Dustin Li wanted them to enjoy a comfortable life free of worry.

He resided in a room deep within the courtyard, dedicating his time to his training. Martial arts were divided into nine ranks, with the first three being considered low-grade, and the fourth rank marking the threshold of the mid-tier.

Novaridge City's Martial Arts Hall housed only six fourth-rank martial arts techniques, which included two internal skills, martial arts, and body techniques. These were regarded as the highest level of martial arts in the city. Dustin Li had earned the right to choose a fourth-rank technique as the champion of the competition, and he had opted for the Nine Thunder Swords and Unpredictable Escape Technique.

The Thunder Nine Swords was an upgraded version of the basic Thunder Swordsmanship. The Unpredictable Escape Technique, however, was even more valuable—it was considered the most precious of the fourth-rank martial arts. It was said to be incomplete, but even in its fragmented state, it was a formidable technique.

With his foundation in Thunder Swordsmanship, Dustin Li progressed quickly with the Thunder Nine Swords. Within seven days, he reached the small achievement level. The Unpredictable Escape Technique, however, was far more complex. It took Dustin Li more than half a month just to visualize and understand its meridian diagram. But even in its incomplete state, the technique was already exceeding expectations, surpassing what he had hoped for in terms of both speed and subtlety.

Dustin Li wasn't in a rush to break through to the Energy Gathering Realm, especially with the Energy Condensation Pill in his possession. He knew that laying a solid foundation now would benefit him in the long term. Under the guidance of the Martial Hall's master, he focused on refining his skills before attempting his breakthrough.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Dustin Li had secluded himself, dedicating every moment to refining his skills. His progress was immense, and with the help of the second-tier Spirit Gathering Array, he was nearly on the verge of breaking through to the Energy Gathering Realm. His Nine Thunder Swords were perfected, and the Unpredictable Escape Technique had reached its small achievement level.

"It's time," Dustin Li murmured, standing in a forest outside Novaridge City. It was secluded, ensuring no interruptions during his breakthrough. He activated the Spirit Gathering Array, which quickly drew in the vitality of the earth.

Dustin Li took the Energy Condensation Pill, and the power of the pill surged within him, condensing his internal energy and gathering it into his dantian.

"Buzz... buzz... buzz..."

Energy surged through his body, gathering and pulsating in his lower abdomen. His dantian trembled, and the energy within him built up violently.

"Pure Yang is one... Open, all the veins, open for me!"

With a roar, Dustin Li activated the Pure Yang Technique to its maximum potential. The energy within his flesh, muscles, bones, and blood was transformed into waves, all crashing into his dantian.

"Boom!"

The invisible barrier within his dantian shattered, and energy poured into it like a flood, filling the void.

The breakthrough was complete. Dustin Li had reached the Energy Gathering Realm.

His dantian was now the foundation, where energy flowed through his meridians and acupoints with efficiency and purity far beyond what it had been before. He was no longer just a body-refining martial artist—he was now a true cultivator.

But that was only the beginning.

"What's this?" Dustin Li felt a sudden, violent throbbing in his dantian. It was then that he saw it: a spinning black-and-white wheel, like a rotating grinding disc, at the center of his dantian. This was the Wheel of Death.

It wasn't a technique or martial art. It was a mark, a manifestation of the law of life and death itself. As the wheel spun, Dustin Li began to understand things that had once eluded him. The mysteries of martial arts that had been beyond his grasp were now within his reach, illuminated by the law of life and death.

It was the beginning of a new chapter in his cultivation journey.